Mondays on the BottleBlog will feature a cocktail recipe that is sure to be just the thing to get you through the rest of the work week. Though we don't expect you'll bring in all the fixins into your place of employment, we hope you'll try our recipes responsibly at home! Today we're talking about Brandy.
So, it's supposed to snow and ice again, starting tonight at 10:00 or so, and lasting until... well, JUNE, apparently. I swear, I'm about to raise my white flag in surrender and wait for the St. Bernard to show up with the little barrel of Brandy around his neck to save me.Unfortunately, the "barrel of Brandy" around the St. Bernard's neck is just a tall tale, or an urban legend. Even though our managers probably won't deliver it to you from a barrel around their necks, Joe Canal's has plenty of Brandy available to get everyone through this upcoming storm, and beyond.
Of course, Brandy is just fine to warm your blood when drunk, neat, out of a snifter, but there are variations on recipes that feature Brandy that are very delicious and have the same effect.
Brandy Alexander
One of the greatest cocktails of them all, Alexander can be served at the end of a grand dinner with coffee as a creamy digestif, or as the first drink of the evening at a cocktail party, since the cream in it helps to line the stomach. It was possibly originally made with gin rather than brandy, and the cream was unsweetened, but the formula below is undoubtedly the best of all possible worlds.
-1 measure (1 1/2 tbsp.) Brandy
-1 measure (1 1/2 tbsp.) brown creme de cacao
-1 measure (1 1/2 tbsp.) double (heavy) cream
Shake the ingredients thoroughly with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Scatter ground nutmeg on top. Alternatively, sprinkle with grated dark chocolate.
Brandy Crusta
The sweet, frosted rim is all-important in thie most appealing drink. It mitigates some of the sourness in the drink itself.
-1 1/2 measures (6 tsp) Brandy
-1/2 measure (2 tsp) Cointreau
-1/4 measure (1 tsp) maraschino
dash Angostura bitters
-1/4 measure (1 tsp) lemon juice
Frost the rim of a wide tumbler by dipping it first in lemon juice and then in caster (superfine) sugar. Hang a twist of lemon ring in it, and then fill it with cracked ice. Stir all the ingredients well with ice in a pitcher until the mixture is well-chilled, and then strain into the prepared glass. Garnish further with a half-slice of orange.
Last Goodbye
The flavors of cherry brandy and Cointreau are seen as being particularly compatible with cognac, and this is another appealing mixture.
-1 measure (1 1/2 tbsp.) cognac
-3/4 measure (3 tsp) cherry brandy
-1/4 measure (1 tsp) Cointreau
-1/2 measure (2 tsp) lime juice
-1/4 measure (1 tsp) grenadine
Shake all the ingredients well with ice, and strain into a balloon glass. You could garnish with a lime slice or a cherry.
Rodenbach
Stop in for a free taste of these great 
Blue Point Brewing
Hot Tea Toddy
Hot Buttered Rum
It will be very cold in the Northeast this weekend. I am preparing myself by flipping through photos of wine trips I have taken over the past three years and the food, wine, and experiences that they gave me. After ten years of being a wine professional, I can say that this is a great business to work in. I like to tell people, "You'll never be rich, but the perks are sooooo nice." Meeting people, traveling, trade tastings, you get to do some pretty interesting stuff and a lot of it is just part of the job. I have always traveled to visit different wine producing regions as part of my work since I have been doing this, but over the last three years I was lucky enough to visit three countries that I had always wanted to see, Chile and Argentina in South America and Spain.
Like so many of the estates we visited they had an outdoor kitchen complete with a wood fired oven for empanadas. Empanadas are very serious business in Argentina. Some of the examples I had in Mendoza were ethereal. Light pastry filled with beef and onion or shrimp and vegetables, were ridiculously easy to eat. I have yet to find a restaurant here in the tri-state area that comes close.
I fortunately am not shy about any of these foodstuffs and I dug right in.
I'm sure anyone who reads thinks "Wow, I'd really love to be able to do that." Don't be so quick. There was considerable work to be done on this trip also. When we got back down from that hilltop, we had to taste through a flight composed of all the current releases in the Montes portfolio. Man, that was ugly.
We washed it back with a dry Moscatel from Jorge Ordonez. A gorgeous wine made with the regions prominent white grape but in this case fermented dry, it was fantastic with all that fish and shellfish. The real eye opener was the Langostines.
Being composed of snails, which are abundant as is the rabbit that goes into that dish, a wine with a certain gamey quality to it was required. We drank Garnacha from El Nido which paired well with the meal and brought an exotic element all its own.
On Wednesday, January 19, Joe Canal's of Woodbridge hosted a team of managers from H & R Block for a walk-around wine tasting event. At the after-hours business socialization event, 10 beer and 10 wines were poured for tasting, including Atalaya, Shotfire Shiraz and Saget Sancerre, as well as beers such as Ommegang Rare Vos, Ithaca White Gold, Rodenbach and Saison Dupont. The beer and wine were plentiful, and the event was catered by Woodbridge Catering, who brought a feast of delicious pasta, pork and chicken dishes, veggies, mashed potatoes and more! 
Did you know that you can host your special event with us? Joe Canal’s Liquid Learning Center in Woodbridge is the perfect place for your company, association, or group wine-tasting event. Joe Canal’s expert staff will work with you to create the perfect agenda and environment. You can select from our unmatched selection of domestic and imported wine, while choosing a menu best suited to your needs. The Liquid Learning Center at Joe Canal’s hosts many special events throughout the year. We’ve had bottle signings by Danny DeVito, Dan Akroyd and Nancy Sinatra. We’ve hosted whisky tastings, Collector’s Tours and club meetings. To find out how your group can benefit from an educational event at the Liquid Learning Center, please contact Debbie Miller Nelson at 732-726-0077 ext. 10, or dnelson@joecanals.net.
This weekend at my daughter's first birthday party, a friend that I hadn't seen in a while was asking about my job. He mentioned that he rarely drinks wine anymore because of a sulfite sensitivity, and it's very difficult for him to find wines he can drink without suffering adverse effects.
To enjoy a Hot Scotch, put two ounces of Buttershots into a mug and top with hot chocolate. A Hot Peppermint Patty is made with 1 oz. peppermint schnapps, 1/2 oz. creme de cacao, and a splash of creme de menthe. Pour all of the above into a mug and top with hot chocolate. A Malibu Jane is made with 2 oz. coconut rum, added to your hot chocolate. And, of course, when you make these chocolatey drinks, don't forget the mini marshmallows or whipped cream on top!
You will need:
My shanks looked like this when they were done. 
It should look like this. 
Put all the above in a pot 5 quarts or larger and cover with cold water at least 5 inches over the beans.
They should look like this. 
Stoudt's Brewing Company
Erie Brewing Co.
To a beer lover, there's nothing better than cold, fresh beer poured right from the tap. Wouldn't it be great if you could have that amazing taste without having to go out to the pub? Wouldn't you rather have the pub come to you and your friends at home? Well, now you can!
We are thrilled to announce that Joe Canal's in the Iselin section of Woodbridge is the new home of two automatic wine tasting machines! This exciting technology allows you to attend a wine tasting any time our store is open! This is the first of its kind in Woodbridge Township! We'll have 16 wines for you to try at all times, and we'll make sure you have a variety to choose from - be it red or white, from Italy to Australia, from the most economical choices to fine wines for your refined palate.
Cut the eggs in half as for Deviled eggs and reserve four of the yolks. In a food processor, put the livers and liquid and the four egg yolks, and puree. Add in enough heavy cream to thin the livers to the consistency of toothpaste. Drizzle in some black truffle oil. Spoon or pipe into the egg whites using a pastry bag. Top with finely sliced scallion and a few flakes of sea salt and serve.
Next up was a non-vintage Brut Champagne, Chartogne-Taillet Cuvee Saint Anne, a personal favorite that we had previously selected to be served at our wedding last year. This is what is known as a "Grower Champagne," because unlike the big house bubbles who contract for their fruit, Chartogne-Taillet makes their wines from vine to bottle. I should point out here that this wine and the Vilmart come from the portfolio of Terry Thiese, an importer who really knows his bubbles. When in the store I like to point customers to the back label of imported wines. Knowing that you like an importer's selections can be a good guide to purchasing wines that you don't know.
At Otter Creek Brewing we strongly believe the taste and quality of our beer is the most important aspect of who we are. We continually invest time, energy, and resources into brewing the best beer possible. In the past 6 months alone, we've invested nearly one million dollars and countless hours to improve quality and energy efficiencies throughout our brewery.